Chapter 4
Everything changed when an ambush hit out of nowhere.
The arrow flew out of the woods. No one else saw it coming. I was standing right behind Adrian, and I saw it head straight for Adrian's back.
I didn't think about whether I could block it. I didn't think about whether I'd die.
All I knew was that this world couldn't go on without him. He was the only one who ever cared about me, the only one who ever protected me.
He couldn't die. He was the future of our pack, the true Alpha. So I threw myself in front of him.
When the arrow grazed my neck, the pain didn't hit right away. First came a flash of heat, then a chill that crept from the wound down my arms and legs, like icy river water seeping into my veins. It was Wolfsbane.
As I collapsed to the ground, I saw Adrian's face. He was shouting something, but I couldn't hear him.
All I could see were his eyes. His amber eyes were full of fear and fury. A flash of golden light burst from him. His Alpha presence took over the battlefield, and howls echoed from all around.
He slaughtered every last intruder and became the undisputed next Alpha, the rightful successor everyone acknowledged.
That was the first time I realized what it felt like to have someone afraid of losing me.
After the wound healed, a scar remained on my neck. It ran from below my left ear down to my collarbone, the skin raised and paler than the rest.
The wolfsbane left my hands shaking nonstop, and my senses felt numb and sluggish.
Adrian took me to the river. It was wide and shallow, moonlight shattering on the water like a thousand tiny mirrors.
He had me sit on a rock by the shore and then knelt down in front of me.
When his fingers brushed the scar on my neck, his fingertips felt searing hot.
He didn't look away in disgust like everyone else, and he didn't give me that pitying look that always made my skin crawl.
He only stared at the scar like it was something precious of his, now damaged.
"This scar is here because of me," he said softly, almost as if he needed to say it out loud to believe it. His fingers slowly traced its length, from behind my ear down to my collarbone.
"No one will ever hurt you again," he said, lifting his eyes to meet mine. "Not on my watch."
He pulled out a handful of Lunaris Reed fibers from his pocket. Thin, silvery strands that shimmered in the moonlight. "This is Lunaris Reed. It only works if you harvest it during a full moon."
He started to weave. His fingers were long, with well-defined knuckles, and his movements were unexpectedly gentle.
He twisted and wound each strand, letting the fibers slowly take shape between his fingers until a slender Moonbond Cord emerged. It felt like he was weaving our destinies together.
"The Moonbond Cord can protect werewolves who haven't awakened yet," Adrian explained. "When the full moon rises, it'll help take the edge off the wolfsbane's pain for you."
I watched his fingers work, moonlight falling across his profile, the shadow of his nose cast on his cheek.
I knew what he wasn't saying. The Moonbond Cord was the pack's silent symbol of devotion. And when it came from the Alpha, his cord was reserved for his Luna alone.
He finished tying the last knot and looked up. "Alright, come here."
I lowered my head, and he looped the Moonbond Cord around my neck, tying it securely at the back.
When his fingers brushed the skin at the back of my neck, he paused for a moment.
The Moonbond Cord lay against my scar, the rough fibers pressing against the raised skin, making it itch a little.